Drivers' Education
- Details
- Last Updated: Wednesday, 11 January 2017 09:11
Welcome to Drivers ED,
Driver Education, or DE, this is NOT your High School Drivers ED! This is an opportunity to improve your driving skills by learning to drive your car safely at above average speed on a closed circuit road course, some of which are professional tracks you see on TV. As a novice DE participant, you will drive with an instructor, who will teach you the safest, smoothest and most consistent way to drive as quickly as you both feel is safe for the conditions and your skill level at that time. Entry qualification is prior track time or through our March or September High Performance Driving Clinic. Autocross School and participation can count as well.
DE is not racing, but Potomac does sponsor the longest running annual Club Race and just hosted it's 25th annual race this year. You can read more about the Club Race here.
DE differs from racing in several important ways. DE provides drivers with a learning environment where the goal is to improve your individual driving skills in a safe and fun way. The order in which drivers start or finish a DE session is irrelevant. Racing provides drivers with a competitive environment where the goal is to beat the other drivers across the finish line. DE stresses learning in a safe environment by permitting cars to pass other cars only in straight sections of the track that are specifically designated as passing zones, and even then a car can pass only after receiving permission from the car being passed that it is safe to do so. To further increase the safety of the learning environment in a DE, course workers are positioned around the track to help you see obstacles on and off the road surface, slippery course conditions, potential mechanical issues with your car, and actions that appear to be inconsistent with the safe learning environment that DE stresses.
The goals in DE are 1) to be safe, 2) to have fun, and 3) to learn about driving your Porsche smoothly and consistently. And you will learn. Threshold braking, cornering techniques, "the line", "heel and toe" and vehicle dynamics are among the topics taught on the track and in classroom sessions by fellow Porsche owners and expert drivers. We are a social club, and new participants are welcome, we also are not Porsche exclusive.
To learn more about DE read our FAQ Page.
Read the 2017 DE message from the Chair
Drivers' Education Team
DE Co-Chairs
Dirk Dekker & Bob Mulligan
DEChair@pcapotomac.org
Co-Chief Instructors
Dan Dazzo, Steve Wilson, & Don Mattran
Chiefinstructor@pcapotomac.org
Tech Co-Chairs
John Vrankovich & Dave Diquollo
Tech@pcapotomac.org
DE Registrar
Carol DeZwarte & Chris Mantzuranis
deregistrar@pcapotomac.org
Safety Chair
Tim Kearns
Safety@pcapotomac.org
Track Stewards
Tim Kearns, Steve Vetter, & Michael Handelman & Stephan Kiraly
TrackSteward@pcapotomac.org
Cashier
Roger McLeod
DECashier@pcapotomac.org
Track Coordinator
Brian Walsh
TrackRentals@pcapotomac.org
Track Registrar
Bernice Richmond
TrackRegistrar@pcapotomac.org
